As a nutritious food to improve eyesight tasty strawberries are ideal for making a delicious smoothie. Additionally, this red fruit filled with tons of antioxidants, polyphenols, vitamins and minerals is a good compliment to your ideal Yogurt dessert treat. This extremely nutritious food for better eyesight provides a series of health benefits including better immune health, better brain health, protection from cancer and a decrease in blood pressure to name a few. Some nutritional ingredients in strawberries include vitamins and minerals such as vitamin C, magnesium, Potassium, Folate and dietary fiber to name a few. But did you know that this antioxidant rich fruit is also good for your eyes as well? Therefore, here are some of the nutritional benefits of strawberries for better vision health along with some of its general health benefits:

Eye health Benefits – This eye food consists of free radical fighting antioxidants, flavonoids and phytochemicals for vision protection. These can actually decrease the pressure in the eyes. From this point of view, strawberries are a good nutritional preventive measure against Glaucoma. Strawberries consists of Potassium which increases healthy circulation to the blood vessels of the eyes and this is also important in normalizing healthy pressure in the eyes.

Boosts The Immune System – Due to its rich vitamin C content it significantly boosts the immune system. The rich antioxidant properties in strawberries neutralizes damaging free radicals in the body that are harmful to the DNA of healthy cells and therefore it increases the body’s immune system defenses against diseases. Strawberries provide about 150% of your daily recommended allowance for vitamin C for better immune health.

Cancer Fighter: Strawberries consist of Vitamin C, Folate, quercetin and anthocyanins. These nutritional elements work together to fight free radicals, cancer cells and tumor growth. The daily consumption of strawberries not only reduces the risks for cancer but also reduces the negative effects of aging on the brain thereby improving brain health.

Improves Brain Function: the nutritional elements in strawberries such as its vitamin C content as well as its phytochemical content counteract the negative effects of free radicals in the brain. Strawberries consists of Iodine which is a nutrient vital in improving brain function and Potassium which improves cognitive function. Therefore, regular daily consumption of strawberries is useful in improving cognitive skills such as concentration, memory and recall.

Lowers Blood Pressure: Strawberries Lower blood pressure due to its Potassium and Magnesium content. Potassium dilates blood vessels thereby improving the flow of blood circulation to the arteries of the heart.

Strawberries make a wonderful snack when combined with other fruits to make smoothies and is also an ideal addition to your favorite Yogurt snack. With multiple benefits ranging from better eye, heart, brain and immune health, ultimately, making this healthy fruit a part of your daily diet is certainly a very wise nutritional choice for maximum general health and eye health.

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Telematics, Big Data, and Analytics are the three big important ways that are driving the auto industry forward. In this article, we will see how big data analytics, with the insights of information processing, can help transform the automotive and transportation industry globally.

The future of telematics is with big data.

Traditionally, in most automotive and transportation enterprises, specialized business processes have always been analyzed and modeled on whatever limited empirical data or contextual information was available to them. Proper data was few and far between. Or, even if the required data was available, enterprises hardly had any technological know-how with them to harness all the information necessary for their use. It was quite a difficult task to deal with such a situation where enterprises heavily relied upon conventional methods such as going through previous driving records, including taking into account people’s age and gender, locale demographics to accurately predict risk levels among its consumer base. This was something haphazard, awkward and unreliable.

Now with the advanced big data analytics, accessibility to scores of information and the science of telematics are putting the current understandings in new light, offering new conversation starters, and creating new potential outcomes that were not really possible before. “Big Data” as we know it is changing everything for the better. It is changing how the vehicles are built, how they work, how we use them and how they collaborate with everything else in this world: From vehicle-assembling to insurance underwriting, to traffic modeling to optimizing traffic routes, Big Data is changing the world of car/fleet transportation industry in a big way.

Big data analytics plays a very important role in the telematics field. The fact of the matter is that the science of telematics which involves telecommunications and vehicular technologies demonstrates how big data analytics can improve supply chain management, fleet management, increase yield and drastically reduce material costs, not to mention the quality and safety issues that never get compromised using proper big data analytics. In fact, the use of relevant data directly leads to more opportunities. It is in this context we will see how Big Data is bringing transformative elements into the various industry sectors especially in insurance, financial, automotive and transportation and other sectors and improve their business processes.

Telematics All The Way

Telematics is ushering an era of big changes. The way vehicles are insured and how they are driven or repaired are all changing for the better.

Earlier, we have seen that insurance and maintenance standards of vehicles were based on some kind of conjecture and the rough utilization of crude data that was available at hand. But with the use of telematics, a strong evidence of data is promptly accessible that can revamp entire branches of the commercial enterprises and change drivers’ driving behaviors.

Thanks to telematics, the wealth of data that can be derived from vehicles can also be made available to drivers. This is also one of the big changes that telematics promises. As far as valid data is concerned, there are simple ways people can immediately access from their connected car, and this same data can also be transmitted to the manufacturers or insurance companies for that matter. So when data is available and is accessible to users then there is going to be better understandings of their vehicles’ performance, ultimately resulting in helping drivers adopt good driving behavior. Drivers will have access to GPS-related data that will let them know their driving styles, including real-time information on fuel consumption, speed limits, hard acceleration, braking, phone distraction, etc. All this useful information can impact not only their driving performance but also can extend the longevity of their cars.

Driving Innovation and Continued Growth for Auto Insurance

To give you just one example: Consider the insurance industry. Using the great combination of telematics and big data analytics, insurance companies are able to enhance their business processes to an extent that was not possible before.

Basically, the insurance industry is based on analytics and probability. Therefore, to have a proper access to accurate and in-depth data that identifies with every customer’s lifestyle and risk always works in the best interest of the insurance industry. This is an area where telematics has been adding quite a lot of significant value propositions that matter greatly to both insurance companies and their paying clients alike.

With telematics and big data analytics, insurance companies don’t have to resort to guesswork to fix premiums for their customers. It has enabled insurers to reward policyholders, who display good driving conduct and check their vehicle health stats, with lower premiums and rebate offerings by taking the guesswork out of the equation. This is nothing but a big data approach to telematics insurance.

Telematics is a positive trendsetter and has grown exponentially in recent years. The positive impact that it has over companies and consumers alike is proving to be a win-win deal for everyone. And as far as telematics is concerned Big Data would be there too, working hand in hand. Not only consumers but automotive manufacturers and service providers as well are going to get greatly benefitted from the marriage of big data and telematics. And since the relationship is really symbiotic, big data is going to be the future of telematics. Embrace big data and telematics in a big way!

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The good news is there are any number of leisure activities that will help us stay healthy and physically fit. The other good news is that a lot of them are low impact and don’t involve any strenuous physical activity.

Here are a few leisurely activities that you can indulge in as much as you want to promote good health and personal well being.

1. Dance

Dancing is an exceptional activity that promotes energy, vitality, physical health and an improved mood to support your overall well being at any age! We used to dance a lot when we were younger and a lot of weight loss and fitness routines as well as some of the latest exercise equipment involve some kind of dance movements.

There are many dance styles that will fit into many different lifestyles, from zumba to ballroom dancing and lots in between. All you have to do is find a partner and start moving!

2. Plant A Garden

Do you like the great outdoors? One of the greatest benefits of gardening is that it gets you out of the house and provides you with some less than strenuous physical activity. Gardening might seem like a hobby for old folks, but it offers some health benefits for everyone: exercise, stress relief, nutrition (if it’s a vegetable garden).

A number of studies have indicated a correlation between brain activity and a decrease in Alzheimer disease. In this respect, gardening may even help keep your brain healthy since your mind stays active as you tend your garden.

3. Cook at home

Many people consider cooking to be a leisure activity. When you consider cooking can give you a lot of creativity opportunities and it definitely requires thinking that keeps your mind active, it only makes sense that it could be considered an important activity to your overall mental and physical health.

There’s a good possibility that you may be more likely to eat a healthy and nutritious meal when you are spend time in the kitchen preparing it yourself. If you happen to be cooking with products that you grew in your own garden, then you’ll reaping the rewards of two leisure activities.

4. Do Some Low Impact Exercise

Take a Walk; It goes without saying, exercise is necessary for maintaining your weight and good overall health. Most people equate exercise with going to a gym, lifting weights or some strenuous activity. But, the fact is that just walking is sufficient to promote good health, help battle the ravages of disease like diabetes. It’s also been proven to be beneficial for maintaining good BMI and lowering high cholesterol and blood pressure.

The CDC website has reported that walking is an ideal place to start a physical exercise program, Try twenty minutes a day, three days a week to start. You can increase the time or distance as your strength improves or start other more strenuous activities like tennis, bicycling, or whatever. Find a partner and use the time for socializing and to hold yourself accountable for completing the walk.

Low Impact Yoga; Yoga is a centuries old holistic ancient methods of exercise that aims to treat the entire body and mind. Yoga instruction teaches you how to use good breathing techniques and the various poses allow you to strengthen your body through stretches and which help keep you flexible.

Properly done, yoga can help reduce aches and pain, and may even help prevent injury by improving flexibility and strength. It has also been reported that yoga helps relieve stress by teaching how to control breathing to reduce the symptoms of anxiety and depression.

The Bottom Line
People all over the world are becoming bigger. But there are a lot of leisure activities that offer the benefits of regular exercise: stress reduction that reduce the symptoms of anxiety and depression, weight loss and improvement in physical fitness.

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Who do you think you going to blame if your network marketing plan fails? Hopefully you have prepared yourself fully for any issues that might arise. Pay attention to this article and you will find some of the best tips and suggestions that are available in this day and age.

Don’t spend more than 15-20 minutes talking to applicants. It’s enough time for both of you to size up each other and decide whether you can work with each other or not. The rest of the talking can be done by members of your team. They can teach the most important tricks to the new member while you can deal with more important issues.

Know how you’re going to answer difficult questions about your network marketing business before they are asked. Inevitably, some people will ask you if your business is a pyramid scheme. Tell them that they need to look elsewhere if that is what they are interested in. Knowing the answers to difficult questions ahead of time will make you appear knowledgeable and savvy.

When prospecting, stop focusing on making the sale and focus on whether there is even a sale to be made. If you focus on making the sale, you will end up wasting your time on prospects that will never turn. Learn to listen to those cues that let you know you are barking up the wrong tree, so you can move on to more likely prospects.

Remember that going into network marketing is not to be treated like a hobby; it is a legitimate business. Hobbies are something you do in your downtime to kill boredom. Treating network marketing in this fashion will impede your progress by not allowing you to focus on building out your market.

Quality training may be in order to become a successful network marketer, so never scoff at the idea of checking out some viral videos or listening to books on tape. The more information you check out in the field of network marketing, the easier things will become for you. An informed marketer is a successful marketer.

If you let people know your network marketing business is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, they’ll expect it to be open those hours. That means people in your downline with a question will be calling at all hours of the day and night. Make yourself available, but ensure that your team members know that you do need some time to yourself as well.

Your downline is an essential resource of information, so don’t forget about them once they sign up under you. If you see that someone in your downline is making huge profits, ask them for advice! You’ve helped them become the marketer they are, so they’re likely to be more than willing to share their tips and tricks with you.

To summarize, you know that the responsibility comes down to only you for the proper implementation of your network marketing plan. You are the one who needs to prepare yourself both for how to make things run smoothly and also fix them when something goes wrong. Start now and use the suggestions that have been offered in this article.

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This is rightly named as the age of traveler-centricity and with the evolution of the new era of personalized travel; it is leading to research and development of a host of new so-called intelligent services. The command-and-control perspectives of traveling have changed a lot from the past and the focus has shifted more on the traveler and the productivity of each trip. It has become essential to maintain that the travelers have the greatest return on investment on each trip. New generations of young employees and managers, who have been growing up and dwelling in a digital age, are moving up the ranks as travelers. It has become essential to recognize the need for greater flexibility acknowledging that the employees who travel on corporate trips also consider a percentage of their trip to be a leisure outlet. With increasing globalization and rise in companies sending their staff overseas to network and connect with their offshore prospects/customers/suppliers, corporate travel is a highly profitable tourism segment. Before we talk about how tourism companies can better cater to business travelers, let us first look at why they prefer to use specialized corporate agencies over traditional agents

Why do businesses use Corporate Travel Agencies?

This might be the most basic question for a travel agency as to why they need to use agencies specializing in corporate travel when there are plenty of regular travel agents in the market. Here is the importance of corporate travel agencies who have online systems which allow business travelers access to their complete itinerary.

The following information is at the fingertips of the CTAs:-

full business itinerary details
up-to-date tracking details of flights (including delays or rescheduling)
transparent details about additional costs such as baggage fees or in-flight fees
travel alerts, if any, in the destined area
complete and up-to-date details about the visa procurement policies and identification required
currency requirement and conversion rates

What do corporate clients expect from Corporate Travel Agencies?

Negotiated Fares

The Corporate Agencies tend to have tie-ups with hotels, car rentals, flights etc. giving them access to lower fares which can be used only by the frequent business travelers. Discounted prices are not the only advantage though as they also offer flight upgrades, room upgrades, and VIP check-in lines as required.

In-depth information about the travel industry

Corporate travel agents have access to many travel resources and most importantly, quickly, than any other leisure travel agent. Additional information helps to make the business trips convenient and comfortable.

Changes in Itinerary

When an airline ticket needs to get rescheduled or cancelled, chances are the airline or the online service provider will charge lofty fees. When booking with a corporate travel agent, most of the times schedule changes can be done at zero or minimal extra charges.

Viable emergency contacts

It is important for the business travelers to reach the correct person at the need of trouble. Corporate travel agents have the experience and professionalism to relieve stress for both the traveler and the company.

What you need to consider as corporate travel increases?

Business Travel Barometer reported that corporate travel is witnessing an accelerated growth. However, when poorly managed, it may be no longer an advantage to companies and may, in fact become a burden. There are some factors which the corporations and CTAs must consider to get the best out of the time spent traveling.

Adopting a travel policy

The corporate must define a travel policy which is applicable to and respected by travelers at all levels. This policy should be used to establish the standards which will help to track the improvement of business travel. It will eventually help to reduce the costs of the entire package.

Do not limit the traveler’s autonomy

The management is responsible for budgeting the travel policy which helps to improve cost management however, it is also essential to give a degree of autonomy to the traveler. The policy should be flexible enough to allow the employee to adapt the trip as per the situation.

Traveler’s security should be a major concern

Business travelers need to have security in place. The company needs to stick to its definition of standards to ensure the employee’s integrity. The CTAs should have reliable partners (travel insurance, airlines, hotel chains etc.).

Mobility and automation

To optimize time and ease the processes, the administration of management platforms should have automated processes. This means they should adopt mobile solutions where search options, travel alerts, ticket reservations etc. can be accessed quickly, easily and on the go.

Corporate Travel Trends in 2016

Corporate travel trends tend to change regularly. 2016 has also not been any different and the travel management companies (TMCs) and corporate travel agencies (CTAs) are quite focused to provide steady if not strong axis all over. A growing MICE sector, investments in mobile and big data and enhanced focus on duty of care are some of their areas of focus.

Rising prices

The consolidated buzzword among global suppliers, airfares, hotel rates etc. is the rising fares. It is sometimes the move of the suppliers to generate discounts which encourage travel if there is a strong decline in demand. A positive 2016 world economy has been bringing an increase in air fares of a few percentage points, hotels are expected to see 4%-6% rise in average global rates and the competition will remain moderate in the car rental services.

Duty of care

Risk management is one of the major points of emphasis for corporations. Corporate customers are allowing new policies and improved technologies to monitor employees’ location in case of an emergency, especially when they are travelling to foreign destinations. For instance, Concur Risk Messaging helps to identify the travelers moving around in the world and alerts them with alternate travel arrangement as and when needed.

Focusing on MICE

Meetings industry is a major growing sector and the corporate travel trend is developing on it. The corporate travel agencies should better start aligning the various meeting procurement methodologies with its transient travel sourcing. One of the ways could be to broaden the variety of meeting services by incorporating incentive trips within it.

Investing in technology

A sharper focus on increasing value and becoming more traveler-centric can be done by bringing in mobile friendly technologies. Mobile and big data are definitely the two most significant technological investments which any corporate travel agency must focus to make their platform more appealing.

Business travel analysis after Brexit

Following Brexit, ACTE and CAPA shared their speculations. According to them, the greatest short-term effects on the travel industry will come from the weakening of the pound against other world currencies. Greeley Koch, executive director for the Association of Corporate Travel Executives said that the business travel industry will trend on currency fluctuations; with some companies taking advantage of the weaker pound and traveling more, while others may withhold business travel until world markets find their own level.

Impact of terrorism on corporate travelers

Travel policy makers and administrators need to be guided by rising terrorism scare. For executives and staff undertaking travel on behalf of businesses, the travel agents and corporate travel agencies (CTAs) should prove the reassurance for their safety through the travel policies. It is more than likely that the surveys conducted over corporate travelers reflect the general concern of the global business travelers about the spate of terrorism. However, there is no denying the fact that terrorist threat is changing the patterns of business travel. The key impact of this is to keep in mind that the companies providing travel services for business travelers need to enhance their focus on security and the associated risks in delivering the services to corporate clients. According to a recent finding, travel managers have higher estimation of their policy’s effectiveness in addressing risk compared to skeptical business travelers.

Concluding

Although the corporate travel sector has continued to progress, there are a plethora of challenges faced by the industry. A rapidly changing consumer market, the emergence of new business models, the impact of technology, man-made and natural crises are some of the fulcrum points that need to be considered before planning corporate trips.

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If you are among those people who have a fitness goal and would really want to achieve it, you have to choose a fitness machine that you can use every day even when at home. If you do not have one, you can invest in an elliptical. The reviews have been very positive about this certain type of fitness machine. People love that it is an exact replica of machines used in commercial gyms. It is self-powered and has a slew of helpful and relevant features, including telemetry heart rate monitoring. Aside from this, an elliptical also has an adjustable cross ramp which allows you to change the height of the elliptical path for suitable moving. It also has moving handlebars which helps get your entire body moving, giving you a complete workout.

Many of the health experts these days recommend this type of exercise machine. And today, even users are also starting to love the natural and low-impact motions that make your workout go smoothly and safely. It has preset programs, resistance levels, as well as plenty of custom options and extra features not commonly found on other cross-trainers.

Professional trainers and many other fitness gurus swear by the machine, hence its popularity in commercial gyms and, now, in personal gyms as well. If you want an exercise machine that really delivers, investing in an elliptical is an excellent choice. If there’s anything that reviewers consider a flaw, it’s that it’s clearly designed to be stationary and not portable. It’s heavy, weighing more than 400 pounds. You’ll have to find the ideal place for it and keep it there. And if you wish to transfer it to another place, you really need the help of someone to move it to another place.

Another thing that greatly bothers most fitness enthusiasts is the price of the elliptical. It’s also quite expensive. Not everyone has the financial capability to make such a purchase. On the plus side, however, fitness experts endorse it as a worthy investment. It’s very effective, efficient, and long-lasting. It provides sufficient challenge to keep you engaged and much flexibility that allows you to address different fitness goals. You’ll definitely get your money’s worth and more. So for those who are planning to get fit and would love to achieve their fitness goal, investing in the right machine that really delivers positive results is such a smart move. An elliptical is just one of the most recommended exercise machines by the experts.

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Indian food is loved world over by people of different nationalities. What makes it so popular is the way it is cooked; cooking Indian cuisines is nothing less than an art. It requires the right ingredients chopped and sautéed over fire and then cooked on a simmering flame with the right amount of herbs and spices. Indian food is not just rich in taste but also has an aroma that can whip up anyone’s appetite. The aroma in the food comes from spices which are used in every Indian household for centuries. They are an integral part of every dish and are loaded not just with flavors but also health benefits. Not many are aware that the reason why Indian food apart from being extremely delicious is also very healthy is because of the spices and herbs in it that have therapeutic health benefits. Some of the beneficial uses of spices and herbs used in everyday dishes are:

1) Turmeric: Turmeric has been used for centuries not just in food to give it a yellow texture but also by Ayurvedic doctors for its healing properties. Turmeric when used in food can retain the beta-carotene in certain foods. A main ingredient in turmeric is curcumin, which is a strong antioxidant and has powerful anti-inflammatory effects. Recent studies have also shown that turmeric is helpful in correcting depression symptoms. Due to its strong anti – inflammatory qualities it is highly beneficial to Arthritis patients and unlike medications, it doesn’t pose any threat to liver and other organs. Its most widely accepted property though is its function as a painkiller.

2) Cinnamon: Another commonly used ingredient in Indian household, cinnamon is also used in a variety of other global dishes. These bark shaped spices have a lot of medical benefits. They are very useful for those suffering from diabetes as they can lower fasting blood glucose and reduce cholesterol. Cinnamon also has antibacterial, antifungal and antiviral properties. In ancient times when there was no safe way to store food for a longer period of time and food could get easily spoiled, recipes were flavored with this particular spice. Even in case of common cough and cold, having cinnamon tea can be very comforting and healing.

3) Mustard Seed: They are culinary oil seeds that apart from enhancing the taste of a dish also have a lot of health benefits. The magnesium content in mustard reduces migraine and helps relieve the tormenting pain. Including mustard seeds in your dishes can also relieve you of respiratory congestion; it is also beneficial for asthma patients.

Indian food contains the above and many other spices and herbs that are included in everyday food. This makes it one of the most healthiest foods available.

The “Wikipedia problem” which means children turning to internet for readymade answers is the new age phenomenon baffling teachers and mentors globally. There are almost equal numbers of teachers who consider technology to be a solution as much as a problem. While a common belief is that technology is hindering the students’ capacity to think and analyze, there is also a strong opinion in favor of video games and digital gadgets’ ability to engage students and enhance learning by using more than one sensory stimulators. In spite of the growing concern about the students’ deteriorating attention spans, institutions are incorporating them in the process of classroom learning.

Children are inherently inquisitive creatures. They have a curiosity to discover new things and learn by way of discovering and experimenting even before they are subjected to methods of formal education such as reading or writing. Science is a discipline of experiments and discoveries. The National Science Education Standards emphasize that “science education needs to give students three kinds of scientific skills and understandings. Students need to learn the principles and concepts of science, acquire the reasoning and procedural skills of scientists, and understand the nature of science as a particular form of human endeavor. Students therefore need to be able to devise and carry out investigations that test their ideas, and they need to understand why such investigations are uniquely powerful. Studies show that students are much more likely to understand and retain the concepts that they have learned this way “. Hence, it becomes imperative to engage children in science education at an early stage.

Digital games are more capable to gain students’ interests and attention than other conventional means of imparting education in a classroom. However, some educationists also regard them as culprits of exponential decline in the attention span in children. The next sections in this article discuss the involvement of children in games in the tech age, types of games available in the market and the impact of digital gaming as learning aids in classrooms.

Gaming and the New Age Kids

Digital technology has expanded the horizons of video gaming in the modern world. Kids are subjected to far more complex and challenging technological environment than their counterparts were from over half a century back. Involvement of kids in digital gaming is a result of many significant changes in the lifestyle and culture of the modern society. Easy accessibility of technology, dispensable income due to dual income families and lack of infrastructure for outdoor activities in many cities are some major contributors in making screen games an important part of the children’s’ lives. A study by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2010) found that only 20 percent of the census blocks are within half a mile of a block boundary. Also, the effect of peer pressure cannot be undermined in these times of social networking.

The digital gaming market is one of the fastest growing segments of the global entertainment industry. US is witnessing unprecedented penetration of digital games amongst youngsters. In the US, 97% of the teens play some type of game on a regular basis. In India, the gaming market has grown manifold in the last few years. Hence, it is imperative that educationists are continuously contemplating the use of digital gaming as a learning tool in classrooms. Institutions are also employing innovative ways to leverage the digital advantage for enhancing the learning experience at schools.

What are Digital Games?

There is no concrete definition of games as it may vary with an individual’s preference and profession. Games can be defined as a “system in which players engage in artificial conflict, defined by rules, which result in a quantifiable outcome”. Technology and digitization add new dimensions to games where simulations, interactivity, augmented reality, alternative reality, collective intelligence and sensory stimulators such as sound and visual effects. Digital games are also characterized by their portability and limitless accessibility.

Role-playing games, simulation games and puzzles are some of the most popular digital games. In role-playing games, the player enacts the role of a particular character in a virtual world moving from one level to the other based on the outcome of the earlier level. RPGs can be single player such as the dungeons and dragons from earlier days of gaming or multi-player games such as Diablo III, Xenoblade, Final Fantasy XIII-2 or Mass Effect 3. MMORPG or the Massive Multiple Online Role-Playing Games are an extension of the RPGs where large number of players interacts in an online virtual world. Simulation games create realistic situations in virtual worlds. The outcome will depend on the player’s decision-making and responsiveness and will be closely similar to what may happen in a real world in the same situation. Widely used in training and analysis, simulation games are also popular due to their unpredictable and personalized outcomes. Flight Simulator X, Live for Speed (LFS) and Need for Speed have been extremely popular simulation games for a long time. Puzzles genre of digital games involves problem solving and analysis with varying degrees of difficulty depending on the nature of the game. Crosswords and treasure hunt games are basic forms of puzzle games in both physical and digital form.

All types of digital games involve a social involvement of players. Some need collaborative efforts to play while others may be discussed or analyzed socially. In spite of some games being accused of outright violent visual effects, a well-designed game can accelerate the thinking process by motivating, engaging, involving creativity and developing a meta-game i.e., social interactions inspired and enhanced inside or outside the game. Incorporating digital gaming in the basic education framework can lead to augmented competitiveness and multi-dimensional growth in children.

Digital Games in Science Education – Why and Why Not?

The 21st century requires the mentors and the students to integrate technology into the curriculum. Though the ultimate goal is to benefit the students in terms of learning and experience, unsupervised, unorganized or irrelevant application can lead to complete failure or have negative effects. Some of the negative impacts of digital games in general and in context with the education are listed below:

Digital games have been facing constant rebuke for allegedly enhancing aggression amongst kids and developing a violent streak at an early stage. In a study by Anderson and Bushman (2001), Children involved in violent video games are more likely to have increased aggressive thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, and decreased prosocial helping. Use of weapons and being rewarded for being violent is a cause of widespread concern.

Digital games can be addictive for children and make them physically inactive. Digital games, other than social networking, are considered for reduced physical activity leading to obesity in kids and postural and skeletal disorders.

Addiction to games is also known to make kids socially secluded. Impulsive behavior, depression and increased anxiety levels are largely attributed to excessive gaming in children. Some studies also suggest that the children playing games are unable to concentrate for a long span and have reduced attention span.

Children are prone to absorbing socially unacceptable behavior through some digital games such as using profanities and ill-treating the fairer sex. Lack of adequate knowledge about screening the material available online is a growing concern amongst the parents.

Digital games are considered a hindrance to better performance in academics. Students are often found to skip homework to play games leading to deteriorated performance at school. However, despite their reputation as promoters of violence and mayhem, digital games have in fact been shown to help children learn skills, content, and vital “21st-century” skills. From digital games children can learn: content (from rich vocabulary to science to history), skills (from literacy to math to complex problem-solving), creation of artifacts (from videos to software code) and systems thinking (how changing one element affects relationships as a whole). Strong arguments in favor of using digital games as learning aids in secondary education are summarized below:

Digital games involve extreme hand-eye coordination and enhance motor and sensory skills. Sensory stimulation theory proposed by academician Laird (1985) validates that effective learning occurs when the senses are stimulated. While some studies show that digital gaming reduces attention span, there are strong evidences of improved concentration in short intervals of time. Digital games involve keeping an eye on every detail, follow the rules and respond proactively to the given situation. Complex digital games help is developing problem-solving and decision-making skills. Some games also involve logical analysis of the situation and pattern recognition and improve memorizing thus assisting in the cognitive process. Playing by the rules teaches children to accept and respect a certain level of discipline.

Multi-player digital games develop a sense of constructive competitive attitude. Collaborative games also improve team-building attitude. They develop time management skills in a team and train the players to cooperate for mutually desired goal. They teach the players to accept defeat as well as strive for better results. Digital games provide an avenue for hyperactive kids to direct the energy in a constructive system based game. They also provide an outlet to release aggression and frustration, thus helping in diffusing stress. Some games also involve physical activity such as Nintendo Wii boxing helping kids to engage mentally and physically with the kids. Complex digital games involve high level of multitasking thus improving brain’s natural learning process. Brain based learning theory proposes that multi-tasking is an inherent activity of the brain and learning is enhanced by challenges at various levels. Digital games develop efficient situational analysis and strategy making in children. Since games have certain objectives at every level and a final objective of the game, it teaches players to devise short term and long-term strategies such as scoring points, retaining energy and reaching the ultimate goal of the game. Simulation games and the role-playing digital games help players gain expertise or learn by experiencing in replicas of real world situations. Experiential learning and action learning theories are based on the premise that individuals learn faster when they by experiencing and actually participating in action.

“Games require the kind of thinking that we need in the 21st Century because they use actual learning as the basis for assessment. They test not only current knowledge and skills, but also preparation for future learning. They measure 21st century skills like collaboration, innovation, production, and design by tracking many different kinds of information about a student, over time. ”

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Based on who you ask, a career in IT is both bright and risky. The information technology industry is going through dramatic changes because of the consumer technology, social media, recession and cloud computing, just to name a few. These changes in the corporate world and IT industry are impacting the availability of IT jobs, required skills and salaries. Read on to find out more about it.

If you ask IT professionals, especially those who consider their profession in the IT industry as a dead end will say that the IT departments are facing a non-stop cycle of downsizing. Others things that are adding to the concerns of professionals are offshoring, and the use of the high-tech labors in the form of H-1B visa holders. This is the reason some people think that the pursuing a career in the IT sector is somewhat risky.

Aside from this, the existing professionals in the industry are also fed up with the fact that they are not appreciated for the time and effort they invest in order to get their routine work done. They have been finding it hard to maintain a balance between work and life, not to mention the fact that they are not getting the salary increments they expect.

Other the other side, some professionals are optimistic and they say things in favor of the IT industry. They agree that the industry professionals have a lot of problems to face, such as globalization, offshoring, technological changes and so on. But they still believe that it is the best time to be an IT professional. They are of the opinion that jobs in this industry and the jobs in the near future will be so lucrative that the job holders will be considered well-rounded employees. And they will be better prepared to handle other business tasks. This is because technology is making its way into all types of businesses, and there will be need for IT pros in every business.

Why pursue a career in IT

Although the problem of layoffs and outsourcing is there, the IT sectors still have some jobs that are more stable. Some employers are of the opinion that this trend is leaving towards long tenures. Moreover, large companies want their IT pros to work for them for long term because the knowledge of the IT architecture that the employees have will be hard to replace.

The importance of architecture is on the rise, and companies know the value of highly tenured employees. These companies look for ways in order to attract talented people and want to keep them for a long term. And when they hire someone, they want to make the part of their company.

If you want to pursue IT career, you should be flexible enough to adopt changes. This is way to stay ahead of the completion and achieve your goals. Keep in mind that you won’t be jobless if you are hardworking and talented. No matter what career you choose, you will be successful.

Whether you are a “casual cook” or a “culinary enthusiast”, it’s helpful to know the benefits and advantages of enamel coated cookware.

The casual cook probably gets frustrated and discouraged by the chore of cleaning and scrubbing plain stainless steel, aluminum or cast iron pots and pans. If you’re the ‘enthusiast’, you want to spend more time enjoying the meal and your guests.

Plain stainless steel, aluminum and cast iron pots and pans don’t provide resistance to heat. As a result, cooking at high temperatures makes food stick. This makes cleanup a hassle and detracts from enjoying the time preparing meals. The first noticeable benefit of enamel coated cookware is the smooth, glossy feel on the outside of the pots and pans. This glossy finish, both inside and out, is added for two important reasons. The first is to allow you to cook at high temperatures. Food does not stick, making cleaning much easier and you can use recipes which require more intense heat adding more variety to your meals.

Another benefit of enamel coated cookware is its resistance to rust. The thick, glossed feel that is part of enamel cookware prohibits rust for a longer useful life of the pot or pan. Enamel cookware is known to be very durable and the outer texture is able to stop damage from the elements in your kitchen that effect cookware.

Adding to the advantages of enamel cookware is style. Enamel cookware comes in a variety of stylish, contemporary colors. Pots and pans come in assorted shapes and sizes. If you cooking needs are simple, you can be well served with 2 or 3 basic pots or skillets. If you like to braise, roast, sauté, grill or fry, there is a perfect pot, skillet, grill pan or roaster for you. With various sizes, you can find a shallow skillet designed for grilling or a deeper skillet for frying. You can find larger pots for making stock or soups. Smaller ones are common for stews. Today, kitchen designs frequently incorporate open shelves or cabinets with clear glass doors allowing you to display this fashionable style of cookware and add a touch of flair to your decor. Plain stainless steel, aluminum or cast iron creates a more “utilitarian” look. Also, the stylish appearance of enamel cookware allows you to take it directly from the stove or oven directly to the table.

If you want to enhance your cooking experience then enamel coated cookware is right for you. It is one of the most popular types of cookware found in today’s kitchens. Cook your best with pots, pans and skillets that are durable, rust resistant and very stylish.